HERB WAS HERE CUSTOMER AWARDED WHOPPER OF A PRIZE

America's most dynamic nerd -- white socks, ill-fitting suit, groupies and all -- made a cameo appearance in the Burger King restaurant here on Congress Avenue Tuesday morning.

And he made Kenny Moore of West Palm Beach $5,000 richer for the experience.

Moore had just ordered a mid-morning snack of a Whopper with cheese -- hold the tomatoes and onions, heavy on the pickles and mayo -- a cheeseburger, a large order of fries and a large soda.

When Moore was the first person in the store to recognize the company mascot, he also received a heavy-duty dessert, the $5,000 prize.

"I didn't know what to do," Moore said. "I almost freaked out."

Moore, 19, and his companion, Joe Bohannon, 21, also of West Palm Beach, were on break from work when they decided to stop in the restaurant at 10:45 a.m.

Just after they ordered their meals, Moore said he heard a buzzing of talk from other customers and turned to see Herb entering the restaurant.

"Joe said, 'Isn't that Herb?'

"I looked at the poster and I looked back at him," said Moore.

"I said, 'Are you Herb?'

"He said 'Yes.' He asked me if I worked here, and I said 'No.' He said 'You've just won $5,000!' "

And the excitement was just beginning.

Once word got out that Herb -- yes, the Herb -- was in town, nearby office workers dropped what they were doing and came into the store for a glimpse.

"We heard Herb was here and we rushed over," said Tina Treuhaft, who works across the street from the restaurant. "We came over for a little excitement. He is sort of a nerd but that's OK. Maybe coming to Florida will give him a new lease on life."

As Herb mugged for cameras in the parking lot, motorists pulled off the road to get a closer look.

"I drove by and saw him," said Doug McNeill. "I recognized him from the back of his head. I stopped just for the fun of it."

Tourists stepped out of the food line to get his autograph.

"This has made my vacation," said Pat McKenna, who is on a two-week trip from her home in Kingston, Ontario. McKenna got Herb's autograph for her daughter, Tracey.

A bevy of newspaper and television photographers and reporters jostled each other to get a little closer to Herb himself.

Yes, the Herb. The one everyone professes to be so tired of hearing about.

Herb wrapped his arms around Moore's sister and mother, who rushed to the restaurant as soon as their son called them.

"They love me!" exclaimed Herb. "Could it be my haircut?" he asked as he ran his hand across his balding head.

"Noooooo.

"Could it be the fact that I have sexy legs?" he posed, lifting his trouser leg to reveal his calf-length white socks.

"Noooooo.

"Could it be because I just gave them $5,000?"

Herb said he has visited about 45 Burger King restaurants since the promotion began Super Bowl Sunday. He will visit a total of 70 before the promotional campaign is concluded, he said.

The tour "has kind of brought me out a little bit," said Herb. "Before, the only person that understood me was my pet cow, Magic."

Burger King's Dennis Greenia said the restaurants Herb visits are picked at random from a computer. "(The selection) is totally computer generated. At least one restaurant from each state is picked," he said. "It's a legitimate contest."

Herb was scheduled to visit a restaurant in Dade County later Tuesday and is scheduled for promotional appearances in the area today.

The first customer to spot Herb inside of the restaurant wins $5,000. Everyone else in the restaurant at the time gets a free meal and automatic entry in a lottery pool for the $1 million prize that will wrap up the campaign.

Not even the restaurant employees know of Herb's impending arrival.

Restaurant manager George Buckley said he and his crew were just getting ready for the usual lunch crowd when "I turned around and saw him standing at the counter. I said, 'Here we go.' It's a zoo but it's a lot of fun too. You never think it's going to happen to you."

Which brings us back to Moore.

"I didn't know it was him at first," Moore reflected later. "I would have felt like a fool if it wasn't."

Moore said his mother will be one of the beneficiaries of the bounty.

"I'm going to pay her back every penny I owe her," he said. "After that I'm going to buy some clothes and go down to Fort Lauderdale and have a good old time."